Just Dancing in the Rain
by Aiko-chan
Summary: Perhaps she is acting childish, but she has missed this so. She has missed these special moments with special persons so very, very much.


**Just Dancing in the Rain**  
  
  
Washuu pushed the window up, opening it and allowing the warm summer breeze to drift into the room. She leaned her elbows on the window pane, her chin in her hands, her emerald eyes dull with boredom as she stared out at the gray sheets of rain.  
  
"I hate being stuck inside," she muttered to nobody in particular. Glancing back over her shoulder, she saw the other residents of the household sprawled out on the couch and floor, engrossed in something on television. She sighed, turning back to watch the rain. How could they stand lazing around in front of the TV when it was such a beautiful day?  
  
After a moment of quiet thought, Washuu stepped away from the window, sliding it shut silently. She crept in her bare feet over to the door, pulling it open and slipping outside.  
  
She stood on the porch for a little while, sheltered by the overhang, leaning against a support beam with her arms crossed. The rain fell inches from her face, and she watched it, the soft breeze playing at her back and causing her skirt to billow out in front of her. The rain pattered against the lavender fabric, marking it with darker purple polka-dots. Washuu smiled.  
  
She leapt off the porch, dashing across the grass. The rain had been falling all morning, and when she came to the bridge, the wooden boards were warm and wet beneath her bare feet.  
  
Washuu hoisted herself up onto the bride railing, beginning to walk along it, not unlike a cat upon fenceposts. Her small feet did not slip on the wet wood, and she made it to the other side successfully, jumping down and landing in the wet grass on the other side.  
  
She paused, tilting her head back and gazing up at the overcast clouds. Raindrops slid down her cheeks; she blinked vigorously to keep them out of her eyes.  
  
At last, though, she closed her eyes, spreading her arms a little with her palms open to the skies, letting the rain pour down upon her.  
  
There was silence for a while. Washuu listened to the rain around her, felt it pattering on her skin. Occasionally, there was a faint rumble of thunder in the distance, but it was never close enough to warn her that she ought to get inside. Even if it had, she wouldn't have heeded it. She loved the rain too much, and she didn't get to be out in it enough.  
  
"Little Washuu?"  
  
The gentle masculine voice broke the blessed silence; Washuu opened her eyes, glancing over at Tenchi, who stood on the other side of the bridge, as she dropped her arms to her sides. He was smiling a little. "What're you doing out here in the rain, Little Washuu?" He held a large white-and-red umbrella over his head.  
  
A smile played upon Washuu's lips. "Standing in the rain," she stated, not moving.  
  
"Mind if I join you?"  
  
"Not at all."  
  
But neither of them moved. Tenchi remained on the side of the bridge closer to the house, smiling at Washuu from under his umbrella. She was soaked. Her long hair fell nearly to the ground, straight and darkened from the rain, the red spikes flattened. Her clothes were plastered tightly against her childish figure, and loose blades of grass stuck to her wet bare feet.  
  
Tenchi smiled a little wider, running his fingers through his dark hair. She really was adorable.  
  
"Hey, Tenchi," she called from the other side.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
She grinned, turning and walking across the slick boards to the center of the bridge. "Come dance with me."  
  
He raised one eyebrow. "Dance?"  
  
"Mm-hm." Washuu giggled, pushing thick strands of dark red hair away from her face. "Silly boy. Haven't you ever danced in the rain before?"  
  
"Can't say that I have."  
  
She placed her hands on her hips, pouting. "Then drop that stupid umbrella and come dance with me!"  
  
Tenchi hesitated. "But... I'll get wet."  
  
Washuu, forever impatient, sighed noisily. "That's the _point_, dear Tenchi. To be _in_ the rain."  
  
He smiled. "All right..." He lowered the umbrella and closed it up; as an afterthought, he kicked off his shoes and pulled his socks off.  
  
"There!" Washuu grinned. She spread her arms wide. "Now come on!"  
  
Tenchi felt the rain on his skin, felt it wettening his hair and soaking his clothes. He smiled, striding out to the middle of the bridge. The wood was wet beneath his feet and rather warm.  
  
When he reached her, Washuu immediately grabbed his hand in her own cool, damp one. "C'mon!" She jumped up on the bridge railing again, pulling him up with her. Tenchi flailed his arms, desperately trying to keep his balance on the narrow railing. Washuu laughed, keeping a tight hold on his hand and placing her other hand supportingly at his side. "Now walk across," she coaxed.  
  
"W-what? Washuu, I'm gonna fall!"  
  
She smiled, squeezing his hand. "Tenchi, I won't let you fall. Now walk!"  
  
He obeyed, taking small, careful steps along the slick railing. Washuu walked behind him, keeping her hand at his waist to steady him. When they finally reached the end of the bridge, she gave him a little push in the small of his back. Tenchi slipped, falling off the railing and crashing down in the grass. She fell next to him, laughing as the rain fell upon them.  
  
She was immediately on her feet, helping him up. The grass, which needed cutting, tickled the hem of her skirt as she dashed across the little grassy field next to the road. She spun around in a circle, flinging her arms wide open, embracing the sky. Tenchi laughed a little, crossing the grass and joining her.  
  
Washuu grabbed his hands, spinning him in a circle. Their bare feet seemed to barely skim the wet grass --- Tenchi felt as though he were floating.  
  
She suddenly stopped, throwing her arms and burying her face in his chest. Tenchi, startled, stared down at her. "L-Little Washuu?"  
  
Washuu released him from her embrace, smiling up at him with bright viridian eyes. "Thank you," she said, her voice soft and gentle.  
  
He was perplexed. "For what?"  
  
"For sharing this with me." Washuu idly brushed a piece of wet hair out of her eyes. "I haven't played in the rain in so long... and it's always been something special for me." She smiled tenderly. "And Tenchi... you're... you're the closest friend I've had in a long time." Traces of the beginnings of tears formed in her wide eyes. "There's nobody that I would want to share it with more."  
  
He smiled warmly. "It really makes you this happy? Just dancing in the rain?"  
  
She nodded. "Yeah. Just dancing in the rain."  
  
Then she took his hand again, and they were off once more, dancing together as the warm summer rain fell around them. 


End file.
